Australasian biopics arranged by field of endeavour of protagonist/type of film
Adventure/War
Breaker Morant (Bruce Beresford, 1980) [war criminal/hero]
Fragments of War: The Story of Damien Parer (John Duigan, 1988) (TV) [war cameraman]
Rabbit-Proof Fence (Phillip Noyce, 2001) [Molly, Daisy, Grace walk out of custody]
Smithy (Ken G. Hall, 1946) [Charles Kingsford-Smith, pioneer pilot]
World's Fastest Indian, The (Roger Donaldson, 2006) [Burt Munro, NZ motorcyclist]
Sport
Dawn! (Ken Hannam, 1979) [Dawn Fraser, swimmer]
Never Tell Me Never (1998) (TV) [Janine Shepherd, skier]
Phar Lap (Simon Wincer, 1983) [race-horse]
Swimming Upstream (Russell Mulcahy, 2002) [Anthony Fingleton, swimmer]
Crime
Chopper (Andrew Dominik, 2000) [Mark Read, standover man]
Evil Angels (Fred Schepisi, 1988) [Lindy Chamberlain, accused of infanticide]
Mr Reliable (Nadia Tass, 1996) [Wally Mellish hostage siege in Glenfield, 1968]
Ned Kelly (Tony Richardson, 1970) NOT Australian [bushranger]
Ned Kelly (Gregor Jordan, 2003) [bushranger] - and many other Ned Kelly films
Postcard Bandit, The (Tony Tilse, 2003) telemovie [Brendan Abbott, bank robber]
Squizzy Taylor (Kevin Dobson, 1982) [organized crime figure]
Through My Eyes (Di Drew, 2004) (TV) [Lindy Chamberlain, accused of infanticide]
Veronica Guerin (Joel Schumacher, 2003) Irish journalist Veronica Guerin (Cate Blanchett) killed; NOT Australian
Service
Sister Kenny (Dudley Nichols, 1946) NOT Australian [nursing sister]
Mary MacKillop: That Very Troublesome Woman (John Mabey, 1996) [nun, saint]
Mary: The Inspiring Life of Mary MacKillop (Kay Pavlou, 1994) [nun, saint]
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (Paul Cox, 2000) [heroic priest]
Arts/Entertainment
Angel at my Table, An (Jane Campion, 1990) [Janet Frame, NZ writer]
Death Defying Acts (Gillian Armstrong, 2007) [Harry Houdini, escapologist]
Forbidden Lie$ (Anna Broinowski, 2007) documentary [Norma Khouri, writer]
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts (Scott Hicks, 2007) documentary [Philip Glass, musician]
Hunt Angels (Alec Morgan, 2006) [Rupert Kathner, Alma Brooks, film-makers]
Passion: The Story of Percy Grainger (Peter Duncan, 1999) [musicologist, pianist]
Shine (Scott Hicks, 1996) [David Helfgott, pianist]
Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe (Ted Robinson, 1985) (TV) [pop singer]
Slim Dusty Movie, The (Rob Stewart, 1984) [singer/song-writer]
Tudawali (Steve Jodrell, 1987) (TV) [Robert Tudwali, actor]
Wherever She Goes (Michael S. Gordon, 1951) [Eileen Joyce, classical pianist]
Aboriginal people
Black and White (Craig Lahiff, 2002) [Max Stuart, Aboriginal man sentenced to death for murder]
Rabbit-Proof Fence (Phillip Noyce, 2001) [Molly Kelly and Daisy Kadibil escape custody in the 1930s]
Tudawali (Steve Jodrell, 1987) Ernie Dingo [Robert Tudawali, star of Jedda]
Other
Annie's Coming Out (Gil Brealey, 1984) [handicapped person]
Fortunate Life, A (Marcus Cole, Henri Safran, 1986) mini-series [survivor]
Home Song Stories, The (Tony Ayres, 2007) [Tony Ayres' story of his mother's life and death]
Hostage: The Christine Maresch Story (Frank Shields, 1983) [what it says]
Romulus My Father (Richard Roxburgh, 2007) [Raimond Gaita's story of his father]
Inclusive list of Australasian biopics in alpha order
Angel at my Table, An (Jane Campion, 1990) NZ; based on autobiographies of Janet Frame: To the Island, Angel at my Table, Envoy from Mirror City); Kerry Fox; made as a three-part mini-series, but also screened as a feature; 158 min.
Annie's Coming Out (Gil Brealey, 1984)
Black and White (Craig Lahiff, 2002) [Max Stuart, Aboriginal man sentenced to death for murder]
Breaker Morant (Bruce Beresford, 1980) Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, John Waters, Bryan Brown
Chopper (Andrew Dominik, 2000) Eric Bana, Vince Colosimo (Neville Bartos), Simon Lyndon, David Field; screened Toronto 2000; 94 min. [Mark "Chopper" Read]
Dawn! (Ken Hannam, 1979) [Dawn Fraser, swimmer]
Evil Angels (Fred Schepisi, 1988) aka A Cry in the Dark; wr. Robert Caswell, Fred Schepisi, book John Bryson, dp Ian Baker; Meryl Streep, Sam Neill, Bruce Myles, Neil Fitzpatrick, Charles Tingwell, Maurice Fields, Nick Tate, Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Lauren Shepherd, Bethany Ann Prickett, Alison O'Connell, Aliza Dason, Peter Hosking, Matthew Barker, Dennis Miller, Brendan Higgins, Ian Swan, Robert Wallace, Sandy Gore, Kevin Miles, Jim Holt, John Howard, Frank Holden, Tim Robertson, Patsy Stephen, Ian Gilmour, Mervyn Drake, Vincent Gil, Burt Cooper, Mark Little
Fortunate Life, A (Marcus Cole, Henri Safran, 1986) mini-series
Fragments of War: The Story of Damien Parer (John Duigan, 1988) (TV)
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts (Scott Hicks, 2007) documentary
Home Song Stories, The (Tony Ayres, 2007) [Tony Ayres' story of his mother's life and death]
Hostage: The Christine Maresch Story (Frank Shields, 1983)
Hunt Angels (Alec Morgan, 2006) [Rupert Kathner and Alma Brooks]
Mary MacKillop: That Very Troublesome Woman (John Mabey, 1996) 62 min.
Mary: The Inspiring Life of Mary MacKillop (Kay Pavlou, 1994) Lucy Bell, Brendan Higgins, Vanessa Downing, Brian Harrison, Brian McDermott, Dean Nottle, Linden Wilkinson, James Hagen
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (Paul Cox, 2000)
My Brilliant Career (Gillian Armstrong, 1979) wr. Eleanor Witcombe, novel Miles Franklin, dp Don McAlpine; Judy Davis, Wendy Hughes, Sam Neill; 100 min.; six AFIs 1979
Ned Kelly (Tony Richardson, 1970) wr. Tony Richardson, Ian Jones; Mick Jagger; NOT Australian
Ned Kelly (Gregor Jordan, 2003) Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Joel Edgerton, Anthony Hayes, Naomi Watts; 105 min.; William D. Routt, 'Red Ned', Metro, 136: 10-17.
Passion: The Story of Percy Grainger (Peter Duncan, 1999) prod. Matt Carroll; Richard Roxburgh, Barbara Hershey, Emily Woof, Claudia Karvan, Simon Burke, Linda Cropper, Julia Blake
Phar Lap (Simon Wincer, 1983) Tom Burlinson; 118 min. [Phar Lap - a horse]
Postcard Bandit, The (Tony Tilse, 2003) telemovie
Rabbit-Proof Fence (Phillip Noyce, 2001) wr. Christine Olsen, based on book by Doris Pilkington Garimara, dp Christopher Doyle; Everlyn Sampi, Kenneth Branagh, David Gulpilil, Tianna Sainsbury, Ningali Lawford, Laura Monaghan, Deborah Mailman, Jason Clarke, Myarn Lawford, Roy Billing, Anthony Hayes (Reg), Garry McDonald, David Ngoombujarra (kangaroo hunter); Molly Kelly and Daisy Kadibil appear briefly at the end; based on true story about Aboriginal children escaping custody in the 1930s; shot in SA (partly in WA: the scenery without people), but set in WA; Best Film, Best Sound, Best Original Score AFI Awards 7 November 2002: Peter Gabriel; 94 min.
Romulus My Father (Richard Roxburgh, 2007)
Shine (Scott Hicks, 1996) Geoffrey Rush (AA), Noah Taylor, John Gielgud, Googie Withers, Lynn Redgrave; Academy Award; 130 min. [David Helfgott]
Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe (Ted Robinson, 1985) (TV) [pop singer]
Sister Kenny (Dudley Nichols, 1946) story of Australian nurse; NOT an Australian film
Slim Dusty Movie, The (Rob Stewart, 1984)
Smithy (Ken G. Hall, 1946) [Charles Kingsford Smith]
Squizzy Taylor (Kevin Dobson, 1982) David Atkins, Allen Cassell, Cul Cullen, Robert Hughes, Michael Long, Kim Lewis, Jacki Weaver; 97 min.
Swimming Upstream (Russell Mulcahy, 2002) wr. Anthony Fingleton, dp Martin McGrath; Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis, Jesse Spencer, Tim Draxl, Mitchell Dellevergin, 115 min., first screened 31 October 2002; national release in Australia 27 February 2003; written by Anthony Fingleton, it is his own story of growing up in Brisbane in the 1950s; Mulcahy's first Australian film since Razorback (1984); Metro, 136: 26-29.
Through My Eyes (Di Drew, 2004) dp Phil Cross; telemovie; Miranda Otto (Lindy Chamberlain), Craig McLachlan (Michael Chamberlain), Peter O'Brien; disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain; shot in and around Brisbane, Qld; broadcast November 2004 Ch7
Tudawali (Steve Jodrell, 1987) Ernie Dingo [Robert Tudawali, star of Jedda]
Wherever She Goes (Michael S. Gordon, 1951) [Eileen Joyce]; 81 min.
World's Fastest Indian, The (Roger Donaldson, 2006) Invercargill, NZ; Anthony Hopkins; life of Burt Munro who set land speed records on his Indian Scout motorcycle
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